M&S launches green tomatoes

Marks and Spencer has started selling green tomatoes. The 'sweet greens' are said to be sweeter than the traditional red tomatoes, and are on sale in some stores to test demand.

So how are they different, and would you buy them?

The tomatoes

The tomatoes were discovered in Israel and have been developed by Andy Roe, a farmer in Lancashire, working with M&S. They will go on sale in some stores at £1 for 100g, and if the trial is popular they will be rolled out across the chain.

Typically buyers associate green tomatoes with being unripe and sour. However, this one has sugar levels of up to 12 (on the Brix scale used to measure the sweetness of fruit and vegetables), while a typical supermarket red tomato is closer to eight or nine.

M&S Tomato Technologist, Jo Oliver, said: "We're really excited to be bringing our customers the first ever sweet green tomato. We've been working closely with our growers to create a stunning green tomato with a perfect balance of acidity and sweetness, that we are sure customers will love."

Odd

Marks and Spencer has a history of selling unusual fruit and vegetables. It has previously trialled black apricots, tiger-striped green and red tomatoes, round carrots, the flower sprout (crossing kale with sprouts) and tiny tangerines.

When announcing the new green tomatoes, it said that customers are getting more adventurous in their shopping habits, and want to go beyond the traditional favourites to try something new. It is also expecting the tomatoes to make it into children's lunchboxes as a novelty.

But what do you think, are green tomatoes a welcome addition to the shelves? Will they create a dinner-time talking point? Or are they an expensive gimmick? Let us know in the comments.